The Knife-Thrower and the Future Proprietor: Circus AU
by Lesprit-de-escalier
Summary: Blake is a performer at an all-Faunus circus run and owned by the Schnee company. Who does she encounter in the night but the heiress to the company herself? Based on noxypep's Circus!AU.


**a/n:** A disclaimer here that everything about this story is inherently **not mine**. The Circus!AU effectively belongs to noxypep on tumblr, and I'm simply pleased to have been given permission to write about it!

* * *

The lights were dim, and the air was thick with anticipation. The ground was dusty and hardened, depleted of life, dignity, and any shred of decency that could ever be mustered. The seats were filled to the brim tonight with hordes of spoiled children with their sticky fingers in the popcorn, women with much-too-much makeup on, clinging to their darling husbands who were dressed to the nines in their most fashionable evening wear. There were teenagers that populated rows and rows of paying spectators, who snuck out for the night with nothing better to do than spend their time making fun of anything they could set their sights on. Stragglers who were just too curious about the many wonders that entailed tonight's show occupied the very, _very_ few empty seats in the back.

That is, of course, because Schnee's Faunus Wonders is never without a crowd. It's the most famous Faunus show in the Vale kingdom, after all. There are offshoots of Faunus circuses around Vale, as well as locations in the other kingdoms; however, given the prime location of Faunus Wonders, which is surrounded by the most economically fluid conveniences imaginable, thousands of people flock to the city for the sole purpose of seeing it. Restaurants, shopping malls, hotels and other businesses thank their lucky stars that so many of the world's wealthy like to spend their time there.

"You ready?" A Faunus with black cat ears asked her partner.

You see, the show employs… 'Employs' may be a strong word for it. The show _enlists _the talents of the Faunus race, a race that is known for its animalistic characteristics along with their extrasensory abilities.

"Blake, you ask that every time we go on. Shouldn't you know by now? I'm _always _ready to give these idiots a show," A man with bull horns answers, stretching his triceps out.

Because of the Faunus' skills, the headers of the Schnee Company, who own every single Faunus circus in Vale, has taken it upon themselves to round up the Faunus who often littered the streets and throw them into a show for profit.

Blake sighed, inspecting the edges of her knives, "Adam, I just want to make sure your head is where it should be. We don't need stupid mistakes, and we certainly don't need any more injured."

The Faunus are treated like mutants. They're seen as anomalies with no place in the world other than to entertain the other half of Remnant's population. Their animal traits give way for "regular" people to discriminate against them, abuse them, refuse them basic services and at its very worse, enslave them. Remnant is full of vigilante groups that are banded together to fight this injustice, but due to the Schnee Company and its associates' overwhelming presence in the politics of the matter, these groups are always dispersed quickly.

"I never make mistakes. It's just going to be another night, with the same disgusting people in the crowd as the previous night, and the night before that, and the night before that…" Adam stretched his hamstrings this time, making sure his muscles were good and loose.

The pair was in a hidden room, separated from the main arena by a simple flap of canvas as they prepared for their act of the show tonight. Every so often, the roar of the crowd could be heard, along with cheering, whoops and hollers, and the occasional sexual obscenity.

Blake's ears twitched at this, looking to the opening with a half-lidded expression, "Once again, Velvet is probably putting on an amazing show."

"And once again, some asshole calls her a 'fuck bunny' from the stands. Pieces of shit. All of them," Adam replied, throwing a repulsed look to the floor.

"You're not wrong, but they're the sort of people who would even come to a show like this. Still, they can't be _all _bad," Blake shrugged.

Adam scoffed in amusement, "Really? You're defending them? I can't even believe I'm hearing this!"

Blake walked to the opposite of the room, to a chest where she kept her belongings and pulled out a dark grey poncho lined with white trimming and a black scarf, first throwing the poncho over herself as she slipped her knives into the holsters on her body, "I'm _just _saying, this is the way we live, Adam. We.. We drew the short stick," She wrapped the scarf around her neck last, "But being in a Schnee-run show is nowhere nearly as horrible as being in other shows around the world, and you damn well know that."

"And that makes it right? Wow, Blake. I thought you were on our side."

"There's no—" Blake let out a frustrated grunt, growing fed-up with her partner by the second after hearing this argument many times before, "We're done talking about this. Just get ready, we're on next."

Blake moved to the entrance with slow strides, checking herself to make sure she didn't forget anything. She wore strapped black boots, light grey ripped pants, and grey and black under armor beneath her poncho, her patterned tail and ears matching almost comically with her outfit. Blueish grey markings splashed her lightly tanned skin, some on her cheek, and some of the same colored liner beneath her eyes. Slipping a pair of white, fingerless gloves out of her pockets, she slid them on and tightened the straps, her industrial piercing shimmering in the low lightening of the room as she moved.

Adam, donning nothing more than black pants and boots, walked up next to her and lightly bumped her shoulder with his elbow, "Hey, look, I'm sorry. I got carried away. I didn't mean to imply anything."

Blake glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and smirked, "I guess I won't be sticking a knife in you tonight after all."

He chuckled, "Glad to hear it."

The emcee for the show could be heard, his booming voice rang throughout the arena. "Aaaaaand that's it for Satin, folks! Did she knock your socks off with her magic? Did she _blow_ your mind with wonder!? Well I certainly hope so, because our next act is sure to have you at the edge of your seats!"

The canvas flaps flew open suddenly, and a Faunus with rabbit ears taking this chance to embrace Blake with all she's got, "Ohhhh my god, did'ja hear that guy in the stands? That's the third one this week!"

She was outfitted in a light blue coattail vest, white breeches and collared shirt, with a light blue top hat to boot. Her cream colored hair contrasted with her darker rabbit ears, and with all the earthy tones, no one really noticed the tinge of pink on Blake's cheeks as she steadied herself with the girl nearly on top of her.

"W-Wait, hey, just—" Blake quickly felt around her belt loops to make sure a stray knife hadn't gone anywhere it shouldn't have, "Velvet, I told you not to surprise me like that, especially when I have my equipment on me."

Velvet loosened her grip on Blake, remembering that she was actually supposed to be next, "Sorry, sorry, you know I ride on the high I get while performing! Alright now go and wow 'em for me, kay?" She flashed a genuine smile toward the girl as she fixed the alignment of Blake's poncho.

Adam tapped Blake on the shoulder and motioned toward the entrance, "Talk after the show, ladies. C'mon."

"Adam, you're a real ol' fashioned cockblock, you know that!?" Velvet yelled out after the pair, to which she could only hear a loud "HA!" in response.

The two headed into the boisterous arena, walking the same dreary path they'd used countless nights before.

* * *

The stands were relatively quiet by now as Adam stood still up against a large wooden wall. Though the audience could see no actual sign of distress, Adam was always at least slightly worried each time he performed with Blake. Especially since he was blindfolded.

_*shink!* *shink!*_

Knife by knife, Blake lined Adam's body slowly as she made her way up to his most vital areas. Each knife barely missing skin by mere centimeters, Blake was known as the most skilled knife-thrower that anyone's ever seen, Faunus or human.

_*whff!* *whff!*_

The sharp blades could almost be heard cutting through the air and penetrating the wood. The knives were at his neck now, and past his eyes, before ending in a cliché display of throwing a knife through an apple sitting atop his head.

But this wasn't what made Adam so nervous about partnering with Blake; it would be the final part of their stationary act.

The crowd was still hushed as Adam took a deep breath before stepping away from the wood, eager to get on with the show.

Blake prepared a final knife, flipping it around in her palm a few times before taking a stance. She looked to Adam to make sure he was ready, trying to communicate as best she could without him actually seeing her.

A silence for a moment. . .

'_One…'_

Her amber eyes narrowed and her tail swung twice with control; her ears were forward and alert.

'_Two…'_

Blake lowered herself, tensing her own muscles as she mentally prepared for the most dangerous part of the act.

'… _Three.'_

She suddenly burst with movement, throwing the knife directly at Adam. Before the knife made contact, his reflexes allowed him to seemingly catch the knife with two fingers before spinning around, taking two more knives off the wooden wall and launching them back toward Blake's legs, taking his blindfold off in the process. She easily dodged them with an elegant back handspring, landing in a cool fashion as the dust rose into the air around her. She stood up straight again, placing a hand on her hip and smirking at her partner.

This was where they lost the nerves and started having some _real_ fun.

The crowd was going wild as Adam took the knives from the wall, one by one, throwing them full speed at Blake's body. She spun around once, taking two knives from the air and immediately launched them back at Adam, ready to do yet another back tuck while dodging a few more as they stuck to the dirt with soft clangs. The two exchanged knives in a brilliant display of dodging for a few minutes, and with each passing acrobatic maneuver, the audience only grew louder, if only to cheer on that someone might actually be hit for once.

Blake was extremely well-known for her impalement arts, and a normal knife-throwing routine, as well as its finisher, would simply not cut it for her.

A few more moments of knives flying across the arena, and the movement had all but ceased. Blake and Adam stood apart from each other, chests rising and falling. The last knife stuck in the wooden wall still held the apple to its surface. Adam pulls it out and slips the apple off, catching it and taking an arrogant bite. He turns around and walks a little further from Blake, pretending he was finished, but with one swift movement, he quickly pivots and throws the knife directly at Blake's face.

Her body turned with the path of the knife, and the crowd gasped when no one could see her face for a second. . . .

She picks her head up to reveal that she'd caught the knife with her teeth.

Thunderous applause hailed throughout the big top as Blake turned to the rest of the audience with the knife still in her mouth. She finally took hold of the handle and carefully removed it, making sure not to accidentally nick her skin. Holstering the knife, she took a small bow before taking her leave.

Adam would have to stay for his act, so he bowed as well, but kept his position in the arena. As a skilled swordsman, he did a variety of sword tricks, lots of which involved juggling, fire, sword-swallowing and the like. The main acts of the circus almost always went first unless there was a special event. He plus another talented Faunus would be last in that main line-up, followed by lesser acts by Faunus and animals later on that night.

Blake dusted herself off as she walked over to the break room again, her tail swinging slightly in satisfaction for the exercise. She looked up at the canvas and saw a pair of eyes and ears peeking out at her, anticipating her arrival.

"You were incredible as always! I swear I c'n never get used to you catching that knife in your mouth. Gives me chills, it does," Velvet praised Blake in abundance. She knew the high level of coordination someone would have to have in order to perform at that caliber with knives so flawlessly for so long. There was a time when Blake was just starting out, she actually had several cuts all over her body. They healed, of course, and she became much more careful, emphasizing the importance of precision, but there was always that off chance, one would suppose.

Blake sat down and stretched her muscles, shedding her poncho and scarf in the process. Her muscles often tensed up right after a performance, so she made the point to try and loosen them up immediately after to avoid injury. "Thanks. It's generally the same routine, but it still tends to be a rush. How'd you do with your act? I assume you had the crowd in awe?" She gave Velvet a small smile.

"Of course! Everyone likes a good magic show, and you know I _always _put a good one on." The cream-haired girl moved behind where Blake was sitting, crossed her legs and braced her knees against Blake's back. She ran her fingers down her back to feel the hardened flesh for herself and started to knead the muscles gently.

"H-Hey, wait, you don't have to give me a massage, I'll be okay!" Blake's words almost stumbled out of her mouth.

"Don't be silly! You n' I are distinguished artists, some of the greatest talents the world has eva' seen. We've gotta be in tip-top condition. Just relax, Blake… Alright?"

Blake pursed her lips and let out a tiny sigh. Her ears were mostly erect, showing a tell-tale sign that she was at least enjoying the treatment. Velvet always did what she wanted, so there was no use trying to get her to stop now.

The pair stayed like that for a while more, against the backdrop of noise and excitement on the other side of the canvas.

* * *

After her acts, Blake would often retreat to the backlots by herself to cool off. Perhaps not just to cool off, but simply just to be alone. She quite liked the moonlight, and relished in its peaceful atmosphere.

Absently playing with one of her knives, she continued to walk the grounds, taking in all the sights, smells and sounds of the night. What's the appeal of this place? She would often wonder. Was it truly because her kind were seen as freaks of nature? Why is it that, although the same concept, Schnee-owned circuses were often like _heaven_ compared to other circuses around the world? Is it because they're smart enough to avoid lawsuits? That may be the case.

The usual troubles that ran through her mind were especially rampant tonight, but her wonderings were halted promptly by the scent of something.. Unfamiliar.

The scent wasn't malevolent, nor was it.. bad, in anyway. Actually, Blake thought this particular scent was rather lovely. Like a white orchid floating on clear water.. No, no. Blake shook the distraction from her mind and lowered her ears.

Whatever it was, it was right behind one of the older ticket booths they stored in the back. Slowly, she crept up to the small shack, hoping she wouldn't alert whatever it was that was here. Closer and closer she inched, and realized the scent was—

It was human.

It was… Human?

What on Remnant would possess someone venture back here? Unless they were here to cause harm.

Blake continued her trek, a little more aggressively now. She'd taken it upon herself to make sure her friends were never in any danger, and if this person thought they were going to hurt them, they had another thing coming. She stomped up to the shack and turned the corner to confront the intruder, and—

The person in question jumped, "Ooh, you _scared_ me!"

"Wh—!"

The intruder was in the form of a petite girl. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at Blake as she quickly drank in the sight. Standing at _maybe _5 foot 3 if she was lucky, the girl had illustrious, alabaster hair tied up in a ponytail. She wore a blue, thick-striped sweater over what seemed to be a collared shirt, and a white pleated skirt to compliment. She had on some sneakers, and overall…

Overall, Blake thought this girl was absolutely stunning, regardless of her less-than-flashy wear.

The girl took another good look at Blake before letting her expression relax, "Oh, you're.. You're one of the performers, aren't you?" She let her arms fall to the side before holding them back up to her chest. Blake could sense a small amount of fear from the girl. Blake could _always_ sense a tinge of fear from people when she walked around on the street.

And so Blake, unsuccessfully shaking the thought that this girl was just.. _so_ cute, replied in a quiet voice, "Yes, I am. What exactly are you doing back here? Shouldn't the show patrons be heading home already?"

The girl gave her a small but confident smile, "Yes, under normal circumstances that would be the case. But, I'm next in line for inheritance of this circus, and I'm here on the basis of studying its inner-workings at the moment!"

"You're.. You're what?" Blake couldn't believe her ears.

"My name is Weiss Schnee, and it's a pleasure, Miss…?" Weiss extended her hand to the Faunus. "I recall they called you the Bengal, but I assume you have an actual name?"

She was wary at first, but she took Weiss' hand anyway, "Blake. It's Blake. So you're the heiress of the Schnee Company… That's quite, um. Surprising."

Weiss wasn't showing any signs of hostility toward Blake, something she found infinitely astonishing, considering she was a Schnee. And the person who would eventually take over these circuses, no less! Looking at her soft skin, her pale complexion, and those shimmering ice blues in the moonlight, Blake couldn't help but feel a little nervous, if for other reasons less than forthright.

The heiress looked at Blake inquisitively, and then with confidence, "You were expecting someone tall, menacing and rude, weren't you?"

"I wasn't expecting _anyone_, but I guess that could sum it up."

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two, the crickets in the night sounding off comically before Weiss decided to break the silence.

"Would it be too much to ask if you could show me around the grounds? If we're going to be working together in the near future, I think it's important that we get to know each other. Annnd, it would really help if someone on the inside could, err.. open the door for me, so to speak," she explained. It was true. The smartest thing anyone inheriting a business could do is at the very least learn how it all works.

Blake was taken aback by the heiress' tenacity and willingness to associate with Faunus. She knew there were people that tolerated, even befriended her kind, but never had she imagined that a Schnee herself would be one of them.

"Uh.. Well," Blake considered, "I don't see why not. It couldn't hurt, I suppose."

"Really!?" Weiss took a few steps closer to Blake, "Fantastic! Thank you."

Blake instinctively took a small step back, "It's no problem. If you're really going to take over, then I'm personally invested in the fact that I want you to know us as individuals. And, why exactly were you prowling around an abandoned ticket booth?"

Weiss must have been ecstatic to have found someone to show her around rather than let her wander aimlessly, and she subtly stuck close to Blake's side as she continued her case, "Because it looked interesting. It's also a piece of history, so it's important to note its existence. Anyway, I want to know about your people. Your group of friends. Do they like performing? Are there specific things you need to perform at your best? How does marketing work in accordance to Vale's solicitation laws?"

As they walked, Blake noticed the heiress referred to Faunus as people. She never once implied that Faunus were animals or freaks or monstrosities. Perhaps her friends would take to her kindly? Then again…

"That's a lot of information to learn in one night. For now, you can meet our group. We've finished our portion for the night."

As Weiss bombarded Blake with more questions, soft footsteps could be heard coming around the corner.

"Blake, are you out here? I was looking.. for…" It was Velvet. She'd gone out to search for Blake, who'd been taking a longer evening walk than usual.

The situation _really _didn't look good. A strange girl was all but latched onto Blake, when Blake herself usually never let people stay in close proximity for too long.

Velvet's ears flipped back and she looked at Weiss with an annoyed expression, "And who is _this_?"

Weiss stepped away from Blake to introduce herself to Velvet, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Weiss Schnee, and I'm here on assignment as future proprietor of this establishment. You're the famous magician, aren't you? You're very talented," she extended a professional hand.

She looked at the hand and laughed, "Proprietor? Don't you mean _owner_? What's there to learn here except your company's next exploitation project?" Velvet was certainly not pleased to find out this girl was a Schnee.

Weiss retracted her hand and folded her arms over her chest again, "Whoa, wait a minute. I just met you, and you're already accusing me of abuse? I'm just here for observation, okay?"

Blake tried to step in, knowing all too well that Velvet hated strangers, "Listen, Velvet, we—"

She was interrupted, "How'd she get back here? Should we call Tukson to escort her off the grounds? Blake, this girl doesn't belong here. Let's just go."

Weiss retreated to Blake's side, grasping a bit of her shirt, "Hold on, she said she would show me around! I've already gotten permission to be here, thank you very much."

Velvet noticed Weiss' hand, which only heightened her irritation. She leered at Blake, "You _did!?_"

Blake lowered her ears, suddenly feeling like she's done something terribly wrong, "I did, but.. Velvet, she seems fine. I don't think there's anything to worry about."

Velvet and Weiss were staring daggers at each other now, their height difference extremely apparent.

And poor Blake was caught in between these two women, hoping to some higher power that she didn't accidentally start the end of the world.

* * *

**a/n: **This was super fun to write. Again, this AU belongs to Nox, and I was lucky they allowed me to write something for it.

I want to continue this particular story, but probably only after Nox releases more information about it. Don't wanna run away with it, after all.

What do you guys think!? Isn't their AU amazing?


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